World energy consumption is expected to increase 40% to 50% by the year
2010, and the global mix of fuels--renewables (18%), nuclear (4%), and
fossil (78%)--is projected to remain substantially the same as today;
thus global carbon dioxide emissions would also increase 50% to 60%.

Among industrialized and developing countries, Canada consumes per capita
the most energy in the world, the United Sates ranks second, and Italy
consumes the least among industrialized countries.

Developing countries use 30% of global energy. Rapid population growth,
combined with economic growth, will rapidly increase that percentage in
the next 10 years.

The World Bank estimates that investments of $1 trillion will be needed
in this decade and upwards of $4 trillion during the next 30 years to
meet developing countries' electricity needs alone.

America uses about 15 times more energy per person than does the typical
developing country.

Residential appliances, including heating and cooling equipment and water
heaters, consume 90% of all energy used in the U.S. residential sector.

The United States spends about $440 billion annually for energy. Energy
costs U.S. consumers $200 billion and U.S. manufacturers $100 billion
annually.

Global Warming

Worldwide, 1995 was the warmest year since global temperatures were first
kept in 1856. This supports the near consensus among climatologists that
emissions of carbon dioxide and other gases are causing global warming.
(Chivilan and Epstein, Boston Globe)

On average, 16 million tons of carbon dioxide are emitted into the atmosphere
every 24 hours by human use worldwide. (U.S. Department of Energy)

Carbon emissions in North America reached 1,760 million metric tons in
1998, a 38 percent increase since 1970. They are expected to grow another
31 percent, to 2,314 million metric tons, by the year 2020. (U.S. Department
of Energy)

The United States is the world's largest single emitter of carbon dioxide,
accounting for 23 percent of energy-related carbon emissions worldwide.
(U.S. Department of Energy)

An average of 23,000 pounds of carbon dioxide are emitted annually in
each American home. (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency)

The transportation sector consumed 35% of the nation's energy in 1990;
this sector is 97% dependent on petroleum.

Fossil fuels are depleted at a rate that is 100,000 times faster than
they are formed.

Health

Approximately 30,000 lives are cut short in the U.S. each year due to
pollution from electricity production. (ABT Associates study)

About 81 tons of mercury are emitted into the atmosphere each year as
a result of electric power generation. Mercury is the most toxic heavy
metal in existence. (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency)

Burning fossil fuels to produce energy releases carbon dioxide and other
global-warming-causing gases into the atmosphere. Global warming will
increase the incidence of infectious diseases (including equine encephalitis
and Lyme disease), death from heat waves, blizzards, and floods, and species
loss. (Chivilan and Epstein, Boston Globe, April 10, 1997)

Transportation

The United States consumes about 17 million barrels of oil per day, of
which nearly two-thirds is used for transportation.

The United States imports more than seven million barrels of oil per
day.

While the world's population doubled between 1950 and 1996, the number
of cars increased tenfold. Automobile congestion in the United States
alone accounts for $100 billion in wasted fuel, lost productivity, and
rising health costs. Still, analysts project that the world's fleet of
cars will double in a mere 25 years. (Worldwatch Institute)

Americans use a billion gallons of motor oil a year, 350 million gallons
of which end up polluting the environment. (Department of Energy and Maryland
Energy Administration)

A car that gets 20 miles per gallon (mpg) emits approximately 50 tons
of global-warming inducing carbon dioxide over its lifetime, while a 40-mpg
car emits only 25 tons. Over the average lifetime of an American car (100,000
miles), a 40-mpg car will also save approximately $3,000 in fuel costs
compared to a 20-mpg car. (Natural Resources Defense Council)

The cars and trucks reaching the junkyards this year have higher gasoline
mileage, on average, than the new ones rolling off dealers' lots, for
the first time on record. (Matt Wald, The New York Times, August 11, 1997)

Renewables

Only 7.5 percent of total U.S. energy consumption came from renewable
sources in 1998. Of that total, 94 percent was from hydropower and biomass
(trash and wood incinerators). (U.S. Energy Information Administration)

For the 2 billion people without access to electricity, it would be cheaper
to install solar panels than to extend the electrical grid. (The Fund
for Renewable Energy Everywhere)

Within 15 years, renewable energy could be generating enough electricity
to power 40 million homes and offset 70 days of oil imports.

Photovoltaics

Providing power for villages in developing countries is a fast-growing
market for photovoltaics. The United Nations estimates that more than
2 million villages worldwide are without electric power for water supply,
refrigeration, lighting, and other basic needs, and the cost of extending
the utility grids is prohibitive, $23,000 to $46,000 per kilometer in
1988.

A one kilowatt PV system* each month:

prevents 150 lbs. of coal from being mined

prevents 300 lbs. of CO2 from entering the atmosphere

keeps 105 gallons of water from being consumed

keeps NO and SO2 from being released into the environment

* in Colorado, or an equivalent system that produces 150 kWh per month

Wind

Wind power is the fastest-growing energy source in the world. (Worldwatch
Institute)

The wind in North Dakota alone could produce a third of America's electricity.
(The Official Earth Day Guide to Planet Repair)

Wind power has the potential to supply a large fraction--probably at
least 20%--of U.S. electricity demand at an economical price.

In 1990, California's wind power plants offset the emission of more than
2.5 billion pounds of carbon dioxide, and 15 million pounds of other pollutants
that would have otherwise been produced.

Using 100 kWh of wind power each month is equivalent to:

planting ½ acre of trees

not driving 2,400 miles

Solar Thermal

Research shows that an average household with an electric water heater
spends about 25% of its home energy costs on heating water.

Solar water heaters offered the largest potential savings, with solar
water heater owners saving as much as 50% to 85% annually on their utility
bills over the cost of electric water heating.

You can expect a simple payback of 4 to 8 years on a well-designed and
properly installed solar water heater. (Simple payback is the length of
time required to recover your investment through reduced or avoided energy
costs.)

Solar water heaters do not pollute. By investing in one, you will be
avoiding carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide, and the other
air pollution and wastes created when your utility generates power or
you burn fuel to heat your household water. When a solar water heater
replaces an electric water heater, the electricity displaced over 20 years
represents more than 50 tons of avoided carbon dioxide emissions alone.

Has the highest energy content (BTUs) of any alternative fuel and is
comparable to No. 1 diesel.

Over 4,000 electric vehicles are operating throughout the United States
(with the largest number in California and the western United States).

More than 20,000 flexible-fuel vehicles are in operation.

Over 75,000 natural gas vehicles in U.S. and nearly 1 million worldwide.

Energy Efficiency

By taking appropriate energy-saving measures, by 2010 the United States
can have an energy system that reduces costs by $530 per household per
year and reduces global warming pollutant emissions to 10 percent below
1990 levels. (Energy Innovations report)

Just by using the "off the shelf" energy-efficient technologies
available today, we could cut the cost of heating, cooling, and lighting
our homes and workplaces by up to 80%. (U.S. Department of Energy and
Maryland Energy Administration)

Replacing one incandescent light bulb with an energy-saving compact fluorescent
bulb means 1,000 pounds less carbon dioxide is emitted to the atmosphere
and $67 dollars is saved on energy costs over the bulb's lifetime. (U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency and Alliance to Save Energy)

A decrease of only 1% in industrial energy use would save the equivalent
of about 55 million barrels of oil per year, worth about $1 billion.